[HCDX]: Radio Popular QSL

[Don Moore <mooredxer@xxxxxxxxx>]

Re Ruud Vos's QSL on Radio Popular Independiente, 4800 kHz,
in Ecuador ...

A very rare QSL, indeed. I picked up QSLs there for several
DXers in a 1985 visit and I can't recall seeing any reports
of QSLs for them since. I visited them again in 1997. The
station is really very disorganized and not particularly
profitable. Apparently it was a more prominent station many
years ago when the founder was alive. It was also one of
the only stations in Cuenca in the early days. 

The current manager (who signed Ruud's QSL) is the
founder's widow. She is a very nice person and was very
cordial during both of my visits. However, she doesn't seem
to have much business sense and her health has been poor in
recent years. There were several children in the family,
but they all live elsewhere now, mainly in the USA. The
station's audience is the lowest classes (hence the name
Radio Popular, or the people's radio). That limits revenue
from advertisements, since advertisers aren't as interested
in reaching an audience with little money.  

I also had a good talk with two announcers during my 1997
visit. I got the impression that Radio Popular served as
sort of a training ground. It didn't pay well, even in the
low-paying field of radio announcing, so the announcers
were mostly young people trying to get a start. Apparently
no one stayed around very long. 

The shortwave transmitter has been off the air for some
years. It has a bad tube and replacement would cost several
thousand dollars. Considering the station's financial
picture, it is unlikely the station will ever return to
shortwave. 

People at some other radio stations in Cuenca said they
assume Radio Popular will either close or be sold when the
widow dies, since the children are unlikely to keep it
open. The most valuable asset of the station is the MW
frequency. The equipment is all very old. Even the MW
frequency is not worth all that much since there is a glut
of radio stations in the Cuenca area and most attention is
now given to FM.

Don Moore     mooredxer@xxxxxxxxx


===
Don Moore     mooredxer@xxxxxxxxx
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